The sweetest burden
by rokeat
Summary: Based on one's of lauraperfectinsanity's wonderful prompts: After a night out, Sam gives a tipsy Blaine a piggy back ride home and Blaine falls asleep on Sam's back. Sam then takes care of the sleepy best friend. BLAM.


**THE SWEETEST BURDEN**

Sam threw the last of the paper cups lying around in the garbage bag that Sugar had supplied for him before passing out in the couch, completely wasted. Sam couldn't help but snort as he saw her lightly snoring in her basement, where she had just thrown the best party ever for all the members of the New Directions. As money was never a problem for her, she had copiously supplied them with all kinds of alcohol they shouldn't have been drinking but come on, it was Friday, it was the last day of the semester, they were young and wild and just wanted to have some fun. And some fun they had.

Except for the designated drivers –Artie and Unique this time–, everybody had had more than their share, though not everyone was equally affected by it. If Sam had to make a ranking about who had ended the most plastered, the first one would obviously be Sugar, who had already fallen asleep –she was lucky it was her home after all, and someone had thrown a blanket over her so she wouldn't get too cold in case she spent the whole night in the basement–. A close second would be Marley. The poor girl was obviously not used to booze and the last time he had seen her, she was practically asleep on her feet –fortunately Jake would take of her and make sure she would get home in one piece. So that left the third position in the podium to his beloved best friend. Of course it had to be Blaine. Blaine, whom the most harmless cough syrup would leave him dead to the world. Who barely could tolerate any alcohol. Who could get drunk after just one beer.

Blaine was not about to fall asleep, though. He was still at the euphoric phase where he couldn't stop giggling and dancing and climbing on stuff and clinging to anybody, but was just starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. And if sober Blaine was difficult to keep track of, just imagine him drunk. And as his best friend, Sam guessed he would be the one designated to take care of him. Not that he would leave the job to anyone else, though, he wanted to make sure Blaine would get home safe and sound and he only trusted himself with that difficult task. Because he knew it was going to be difficult.

But wait a minute… where was he? Shit, he had lost sight of him already! What a great way to take care of him, right? If he had already left on his own and he got lost in the streets and something happened to him in his vulnerable state… Ok, that was getting dramatic.

Only one look around him told him that Blaine wasn't the only one who had disappeared. In fact, only dead-to-the-world Sugar and himself were left in that basement. Crap, what a great gang of friends he had! They had all left him to tidy up! And there was no way he was going to accept it, he thought as he placed a bucket within Sugar's reach in case he needed it and ran up the stairs towards the main door of the house.

* * *

The truth was the others weren't that far away. They were just in the front yard, trying to decide who got in each car and to get the most intoxicated youngsters into the vehicles. Well, the ones who wanted, as Blaine didn't seem to find it was such a good idea.

"But it's still so early, guys!" he loudly protested even as he kept dancing, not aware or not caring that there was no music to go with his moves.

"It's past three in the morning, Blaine, it's not early!" Artie argued with him, even if he could hardly keep a smile out of his face at how silly the usually exquisitely-behaved and control-freak young man looked right now.

"I can't get on a car, I'll just throw up" Blaine complained with a groan as he finally stopped dancing to pout ridiculously.

"He's not getting in my car then!" Unique forbid him with a wave of his hand.

"I'll walk home, I need some air" Blaine announced, starting walking away of the group as if he suddenly had forgotten about them.

"You can't go on your own, I doubt you would even find your home" Tina, worried about his boo, yelled at his retreating back.

"Hey, I know where I live!" Blaine grumbled with an annoyed frown when he stopped to look at his friend, but then turned around again and kept walking.

"Someone needs to make sure he gets home in one piece" Artie suggested in a protective tone, knowing it was not wise to let one of his friend wander alone, in such an obvious drunken state, at those hours.

"I'll take him" Sam offered a little too quickly as he suddenly appeared from the inside of the house and quickly understood the situation.

"I'll go with you" Tina kindly offered, knowing that taking care of Blaine in that state was not going to be an easy task.

"No!" Sam practically yelled in his rush to answer, but immediately lowered his tone and even tried to smile reassuringly. Why the hell did he feel so protective that he didn't want to share his task as Blaine's protector? Especially with someone who so obviously had a crush on him and didn't hesitate to act on the boy even when he was asleep? "I mean, there's no need too, I can take care of him"

"You sure? He is a bundle of energy at the best of times, so with him being that drunk…" Tina tried to reason with him, but Sam was having none of it.

"But he is so tiny!" Sam replied, fondly smiling at the thought of his best friend's pocket size. "If it comes to that, I can always throw him over my shoulder and carry him home, right?"

"Alright, if you're sure…" Tina didn't seem all that convinced, but she could sense when her presence was not appreciated and, if she had to be honest with herself, she was too exhausted to argue.

"So see you guys!" Sam yelled at his back as he started running on Blaine's direction, not wanting for the smaller boy to get stray before he could reach him.

* * *

Of course Blaine wasn't that far yet –his cheerful yet unsteady pace hadn't taken him that far–, and it didn't take Sam more than a minute to catch up with him.

"Blaine, wait!" Sam asked out of him as he gently grabbed his elbow to stop him.

"Hey, if it isn't my best friend!" Blaine exclaimed happily as he threw his arms around Sam in a crushing embrace. "My bro! Are you coming with me?"

"Of course, you think I'd leave you alone like this?" Sam answered with a chuckle as he reciprocated Blaine's clumsy hug.

"No, you'd never leave me alone 'cause you're the best pal ever" Blaine answered in a slurred voice, patting Sam's chest affectionately once the embrace broke.

"No, you're the best pal ever" Sam answered equally cheerful, and wondered for a moment if maybe he hadn't had a bit too much to drink too. "So I couldn't risk my bestie getting lost in the middle of the night, right?"

"Why do you people keep saying I will get lost?" Blaine asked with an adorable childish pout that made Sam chuckle again.

"Maybe because you're walking in the opposite direction?" Sam responded with a fond smile.

"Good point" Blaine answered after frowning deep in concentration for a second, and then he simply turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.

"So are you glad now I'm coming with you?" Sam asked in a joking tone, as he threw his arm around Blaine's shoulders to bring him closer to him and ruffled his hair –almost completely gel-less by then– in an almost-too-fondly way.

"I'm always glad when you're with me, Sam!" Blaine exclaimed cheerfully, and he even took the liberty to sloppily kiss Sam's cheek as if it wasn't that big a deal

Not that Sam didn't like it, though. And maybe it really wasn't a big deal, but it was at least… some kind of deal, that's for sure. Not the fact that Blaine had kissed his cheek… but the way that made him feel.

And he guessed he must have zoomed out for a second, because when he reconnected with reality, Blaine was still talking –more like yelling, to be honest.

"Hey, I don't feel like calling it for today yet. Let's do something fun!" Blaine suggested, practically jumping as he spoke, and Sam started to really worry that taking Blaine home was going to be even more difficult than expected.

"No, Blaine, you're so drunk, I need to take you home" Sam tried to reason with him –something that usually worked, because Blaine was always so reasonable… except when he was plastered.

"I'm not that drunk!" Blaine protested, frowning again as if he had been gravely offended.

"Yes, you are" Sam calmly answered, not wanting to get his best friend angry. "And knowing you, you will fall asleep as soon as…"

"Hey, let's play tag!" Blaine suggested out of the blue, interrupting Sam without even noticing it.

"What are we, five?" Sam asked, disbelievingly.

"Catch me if you can!" Blaine shouted at his back as he started clumsily running away from him.

"Blaine, stop it right now! Come back here!" Sam ordered immediately, very aware of how much he sounded like a grumpy father looking after his mischievous child, but in his defense, Blaine was acting like a spoilt kid!

"You'll have to get a hold on me first!"

"I'm not playing, Blaine, stop it!"

"You're sooo going to lose" Blaine mocked him, jumping graciously on a bench as he turned to see if his friend was into the game or not.

"Blaine, stop it, you're going to hurt yourself!" Sam pleaded, approaching him slowly as if he was an injured animal, trying to get him before he felt cornered and fled again.

But what Blaine hadn't counted on was how his intoxication kept him from being as agile and balanced as usual, plus he didn't calculate risks with the same efficiency, so when he tried to jump to the nearest bench to which the one he was standing on, he missed and landed badly on one foot, twisting his ankle and sending him bodily to the floor in slow motion.

"Ouch" was all he said when he found himself lying on the floor, trying to figure out how he had gotten there.

"Blaine!" Sam exclaimed in fear as he ran to his friend and knelt beside him. "You alright?" he asked, slightly relieved when he could see he had at least not cracked his head open. What a great way to look after him that would have been, eh?

"Of course I'm alright" Blaine immediately dismissed his worries as Sam helped him sit up. "Ouch!"

"What?"

"My ankle hurts"

"I guess you twisted it" Sam said, moving to take a look at it for himself. He lifted Blaine's jean's leg, but the darkness of the night kept him from really knowing. When he moved his hands along the injured area –trying to ignore his friend's hiss of pain–, though, it seemed a bit swollen. "Does it hurt too badly?"

"Shit, yes, it hurts!" Blaine pouted when he put his foot on the floor and tried to get up, to no avail.

"Put your arm around me" Sam offered, taking Blaine's wrist to throw it around his shoulder, but Blaine disentangled himself from his friend's grip and let himself fall completely on the floor again.

"Forget it, I can't walk, it hurts too much" he whined. "They may have to amputate it"

"Come on, don't be such a crybaby, I'll help you" Sam insisted, grabbing Blaine's hand to pull him to his feet, but Blaine refused to be moved.

"Just leave me here, save yourself" Blaine exclaimed melodramatically as he covered his eyes with his arm as if he was experiencing the most excruciating pain ever.

"Blaine, how much did you have to drink exactly?" Sam asked, half amused, half annoyed at Blaine's behavior.

"I don't know, same as everyone"

"But Blaine, you don't handle alcohol the same way as everyone"

"Shit, I forgot" Blaine answered as he burst into giggles at his own joke.

"Come on" Sam tried to encourage him to move as he sat him up again. "Put your arm around me"

"But I'm so tired! And it hurts!" Blaine whined like an spoilt brat, and it was all Sam could do not to smack the back of his head.

"Well, you can't stay here all night long, can you?" Sam protested.

"Watch me" Blaine answered, and he was already trying to lie back again when Sam grabbed his hand and pulled with all of his forces.

"Oh, for the love of…" he murmured under his breath as he finally got Blaine to his feet, careful to let him lean on him so he wouldn't have to put his weight on his injured ankle. "Jump on my back"

"Why?"

"I'll give you a piggyback ride"

"Really?" Blaine asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Are you jumping or not?" Sam insisted, not in the mood for putting with Blaine's nonsense for much longer, and squatted in front of his friend so he could comfortably climb onto his back.

Blaine didn't lose a second to obey, laughing all the way even if Sam didn't seem to find it so funny. Once the blond felt Blaine securely wrapped around his back, he put his hands under Blaine's knees to keep him balanced and stood up.

"Hey, that's fun!" Blaine announced, loosely putting his arms around Sam to keep himself from falling. "I haven't had a piggyback ride since I was little!"

"I hope you appreciate everything I do for you" Sam complained, more to play the victim than anything else, as Blaine seemed to weight next to nothing at all. Well, he was tiny, indeed!

"Of course I do, Sam, you know I love you!" Blaine answered in Sam's ear, too easily and too honestly, and it elicited a shiver all along Sam's body when he remembered the feelings Blaine had been harboring for him for some time now. And that never failed to make him feel so special.

"I know, that's the only reason I'm doing it" Sam answered, more kindly this time. After all, he knew Blaine had no control of how annoying he was being at the moment, and he owed him a bit of patience for what a great friend he was… when sober.

"Gee up!" Blaine yelled as he not-so-softly kicked Sam's thighs with his heels in his best cowboy impression, ruining the moment as easily as that –and contributing to Sam's more than mild annoyance.

"Blaine, for God's sake, shut the fuck up!" Sam ordered in an angry tone, trying to stop his friend from yelling in the street at close to four in the morning. How they still hadn't gotten a bucket of water on them from some balcony was beyond him.

"You're moody" Blaine pointed out, laughing to himself.

"You're unbearable" Sam answered angrily.

"Don't you mean adorable?"

"No, I mean unbearable"

"You're mean" Blaine answered with an offended pout this time.

"Are we going to do this the whole trip?" Sam asked, trying to get Blaine to shut the fuck up before he stopped caring about his bestie's obligations and got rid of his burden on the next bench he found.

"Where are we going?"

"Where do you think? To your house"

"You're taking me home?" Blaine asked, and in his tone Sam could see he thought that was the most amazing thing anybody had ever done for him.

"Where did you think I was taking you?" Sam asked, in disbelief. Seriously, how much had he had to drink?

"I don't know, but that's so sweet of you" Blaine answered in utter admiration.

"I'm too good for my own sake, that's right" Sam answered a little more bitterly than planned. "I don't know how I put up with you sometimes"

"Sammy" Blaine softly said to his ear after a minute, as if suddenly he had sensed Sam's bad mood and wanted to make it better.

"Hmph?" Sam grumbled in question.

"You know I love you, right?" Blaine said in the most adoring tone ever, and Sam could feel his heart melting at all the emotion Blaine was able to cherish in his heart, even when drunk. And at how most of the time that emotion was honestly and unashamedly directed at him. And here he was, being a grumpy asshole to that adorable little person…

"Shit, now you made me feel guilty" Sam confessed with a regretful sigh. "B, I'm… I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean that, right? I don't put up with you, I… What I mean is… I wouldn't be giving you a piggyback ride at almost four in the morning if you weren't… you, you know? What I want to say is… I adore you, B, you're the best friend I've ever had and I would mostly do anything for you. You know that, right?"

Sam was glad for the darkness enveloping them because he could feel his cheeks burning after his unexpected declaration of love towards his best friend. Not that it was anything new: it was true, he adored Blaine with everything that he had, and he knew his best friend was aware of that. He just had never put it into words in such raw honesty, but he knew Blaine had never been afraid of words and would appreciate it. Unless… why wasn't he answering?

"Blaine?" Sam asked after a few seconds of waiting for an answer that didn't come. Was Blaine too shocked for words? Or was he too disgusted at Sam's exuberant speech? Gosh, he had screwed it up, right?

He was about to ask the universe to swallow him whole when he noticed the light and even breathing of a very much asleep Blaine next to his ear and the weight of Blaine's head that had fallen on his shoulder.

Immensely relieved he hadn't damaged their friendship forever –though slightly disappointed Blaine hadn't heard his honest words– Sam felt a heartwarming rush of tenderness at knowing Blaine trusted him so much he had let his guard down to the point of falling asleep on his back. And at the thought of Blaine's adorable sleepy-face on his shoulder, even if he couldn't see it. Of course Tina was right: Blaine was such a bundle of energy and non-stopping activity that, when he finally stopped for a second, his body took advantage of it to rest and he could fall asleep in the most unusual of places. Like Sam's back, apparently. Ok, maybe the amount of alcohol in his veins helped, but Sam was pretty sure he would have fallen asleep anyway if he was sober.

The weight of Blaine's head on his shoulder and the little puffs of air forming goose bumps on the skin of Sam's neck were giving the blond one all kinds of feelings. In the first place, that tenderness for his small friend that had invaded his heart. It was no news for him that he simply adored Blaine, he was the best friend he had ever had and one of the best people he knew, but what he was feeling for him in that moment… Like he didn't ever want to let go of him even if his arms were starting to go to sleep from the effort –yeah, Blaine was petite and weighted next to nothing, but still…–. Like it was the sweetest burden he had ever had to carry.

Secondly, it felt weird. As he had told Blaine just a minute ago, he probably wouldn't be doing it for anybody else. After all, it was almost four in the morning, he was exhausted and more than a little tipsy. And here he was, giving a piggyback ride to his sleeping friend. And… liking the feeling. That was weird alright.

And in third place, he felt strong urges of protection towards his friend, who was asleep, drunk and injured at the moment. He physically needed to take care of him and make sure he was safe and sound in his own bed before he could even think about going to his own home. Plus he knew Blaine was home alone that week –his parents away in some important trip abroad–, so that task would fall undoubtedly on him. Not that he would delegate it to someone else –anyone–. Look what had happened that time Blaine got sick and Sam had let Tina take care of him. No, he couldn't trust anybody with such an important task.

Because Blaine sleeping on his back while he got to carry him home was the weirdest and most wonderful thing they had done together yet. And suddenly Sam felt a strange desire to do a whole lot more of new things together with Blaine.

* * *

When he saw Blaine's house around the corner a few minutes after, though, he sighed in relief because, as adorable as it was to have your best friend asleep in your back, he was getting really tired, and he was afraid he would end up dropping him if he went much longer. So only a few steps later, he was standing in front of Blaine's door and reaching behind him for the pocket on Blaine's jacket where he was glad to find his keys.

Once inside, Sam debated with himself if he should just let him sleep it off on the sofa, but he decided that if he had made it so far, he could surely go up some stairs and get him comfortable on his own bed. After all, he knew this house almost as good as he knew his own, and the fact he positively knew there was no one else inside of it, gave him total liberty of movement. Blaine always insisted for him to make himself at home when he visited, after all.

Blaine's room was as neat and tidy as always –Sam had thought that maybe if he caught him sometime when he didn't know Sam was going to visit he would find something out of place, but no, perfect as ever–. The moonlight that entered through the window was enough to let him move around comfortably, so he confidently moved to his next destination: Blaine's bed.

Very carefully –so as not to sit on Blaine–, Sam sat on the bed, Blaine still on his back, and disentangled Blaine's arms from his own neck, without letting go of them so Blaine wouldn't fall on a heap too brusquely and wake up. Still holding him upright, once he was free from Blaine's grip he stood up and turned around, and took of his jacket in one swift movement –while thanking the heavens that, at least, the jacket was not a skin-tight garment–. Then slowly lowered his friend's upper body on the bed, tenderly holding his head with a hand under the back of his neck to make sure he wouldn't fall and not letting go of it until it was peacefully resting against the pillow. He pretended not to notice how soft Blaine's hair was now it was free from most of the gel it had been sporting, and looked around to search from something to cover Blaine's form with –as he hadn't been able to take the covers off the bed and he was lying on top of them.

He took a blanket he remembered Blaine kept on the top drawer of his closet –after all, Sam knew this room almost as good as he knew his own–, and that they had used multiple times to cuddle together in front of his laptop to watch a movie. Ok, maybe not really cuddle, that had sounded too gay even for them. Just… lay down together under the same blanket. With arms around each other. For warmth reasons only.

Since it wasn't a very cold night, he would probably have enough with it. At least he hoped so.

But wait a minute… If he really wanted to take care of him, and get him as comfortable as possible… he should probably get him out of those tight clothes, right? He had heard somewhere than sleeping with tight clothes was no good for circulation, so there was no way he could let Blaine sleep on those clothes of his. But just the thought of undressing him made Sam blush stupidly –even if he was very aware nobody could see him.

He decided to start with something easy: the shoes. He could deal with that. He took care of Blaine's right shoe first and then, very carefully, took off the left one so as not to bother Blaine's injury. He mustn't have been careful enough, though, as Blaine hissed with pain and then opened his eyes, clearly disoriented.

"Sam?" he asked, his voice even more slurred now thanks to sleepiness, as he saw his friend hovering above him.

"Good, you're awake" Sam answered with a relieved sigh. Maybe he wouldn't need to undress Blaine if he was awake to do it himself. "I was just putting you to bed, so maybe you can lend a hand"

"Wow, Sam Evans is in my bed, ladies and gentlemen" Blaine suddenly yelled at the top of his voice, making Sam almost fall from the edge of the bed where he was sitting from the unexpectedness of it.

"Damn it, Blaine, lower your voice!" Sam reprimanded him, resisting the urge to just silence him with a hand over his mouth. "It's four in the morning! The neighbors will hear you!"

"Sam Evans is in my bed, I want them to hear!" Blaine explained, still too loud for Sam's taste but at least he was not yelling anymore.

"Besides, I've slept in this bed more times than you can count" Sam reminded him.

"Does that make me a slut?" Blaine asked, before stupidly breaking down in giggles, and Sam wondered if he could maybe make a video of Blaine in that state and use it to mortify him sometime. He finally decided against it. He didn't have enough battery on his phone.

"You should undress now" Sam suggested, trying not to blush.

"Now that would definitely make me a slut"

"Will you stop with all this nonsense and undress already?"

"But I'm too tired!" Blaine whined pitifully, just before turning to his side and curling on his side. "I'll just sleep like this"

"Blaine, your skinny jeans are really really tight" Sam reminded him as he grabbed his arm to turn him on his back again, just because it was the kind of clothing Blaine usually wore, not because he had noticed, of course. "They can't possibly be comfortable for sleeping, take them off"

"You take them off" Blaine answered like a spoilt brat.

"I'm not undressing you!" Sam protested a little too loud.

"Pity" Blaine answered, not too bothered by it, as he turned on his side again and curled over himself, closing his eyes, ready to fall asleep again.

Sam sighed, resigned. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. Everything for the sake of friendship, he told himself. Blaine would do it for him if the positions were reversed, he reminded himself. It didn't have to be weird, he tried to convince himself.

Grateful that Blaine was half-asleep at least, he reached for the button on his waistband and hoped his hands wouldn't shake and he would end up brushing any areas he didn't want to brush. Then he proceeded with the zipper, and tried not to think about how the usually-sexy noise of a zipper opening seemed to fill the room or how the next step he had to make was to actually take the pants off. But come on, he had seen Blaine pantless hundreds of times before in the locker room, for God's sake! And yes, alright, maybe he had never gotten him pantless himself, but it couldn't be so difficult!

So before his newly-found courage could leave him, he resolutely grabbed the waistband of Blaine's skinny jeans at both sides and tried to bring them down. Shit, weren't they tight? And Blaine's position wasn't helping in the least.

"You could raise your hips at least" Sam pleaded for Blaine to cooperate.

"On our first date?" Blaine joked and again he pissed of laughing. Well, at least somebody was having a good time, Sam thought, but he was rewarded when, at least, Blaine obeyed and turned on his back so he could raise his hips.

Those pants were so tight that Sam felt as if he was peeling them off instead of just taking them off. He had to take care of one leg and then the other, pointedly looking away the whole time so as it wouldn't seem as if he was taking advantage of the situation to have a good look at his friend's body or something.

Once both legs were liberated from their tight imprisonment, Sam wondered if he could just leave it there, but Blaine was still wearing a thick sweater with a turtleneck that couldn't possibly be comfortable and would probably leave him with a sore neck after a whole night. After taking care of the pants, it didn't seem such a big deal anymore anyway so, taking advantage of the fact that Blaine had fallen completely asleep again and was dead to the world, he got his arms out of the sleeves and lifted him slightly until the sweater was off and Blaine was left in only his underwear and a tank top.

Not wanting for his friend to go cold –and needing to cover him as soon as possible so he could start acting normal again–, he picked up the blanket he had gotten ready before and covered Blaine with it. But then he suddenly remembered the reason he had had to carry him home, so he lifted the blanket of his left feet and took advantage of Blaine's pantless state to take a look at his injured ankle. It was indeed a bit swollen and was starting to turn all kinds of purple –it had to be a deep purple if he could see it in the dark of night–, so Blaine hadn't exaggerated one bit when he said it hurt and that he couldn't walk. They were lucky it was Saturday the next day and didn't have to go to school, because Sam would probably have to take Blaine to the emergency room to have that ankle checked. He didn't care how much Blaine protested about it, it looked serious and he was not going to risk having his bed friend crippled for life. Ok, maybe he was being a bit dramatic, but he wanted Blaine to be alright.

He put the blanket over his feet again and then sat on the bed himself next to his sleeping friend. He had turned onto his side again and his mouth was slightly ajar, while his now-free curls framed his face and made him look like a little innocent child –very different from the drunken teenager he had had to deal with only a couple of minutes ago–. Sam smiled fondly at the image, and reached with his hand for the blanket to completely cover Blaine's naked shoulder with it and lovingly tucked him up, wanting to make sure Blaine wouldn't get cold or worse, ill, through the night.

Sam noticed his own heart beating a little faster than before, but the physical effort of undressing Blaine had not been enough to justify it. Maybe it had to do with the butterflies in his stomach? Why was he feeling like this all of a sudden? Maybe it was because of the amount of alcohol in his own veins, that he was not seeing clearly? Or maybe he had been feeling like that for some time now, but the alcohol-induced lack of inhibition of the moment was making him see reality without any fears or prejudices? He didn't know, but Blaine was looking so beautiful and adorable right now…

He looked cute, didn't he? Not that it was the first time Sam noticed Blaine's good looks, come on, he was not blind and they did spend a looot of time together. But right then and there, as he snuggled on himself, his curls ruffled and flying free in all different directions, his cheeks slightly pink from the cold and the inhibration, he looked… so amazingly adorable. And Sam only wanted to squeeze him strongly to him and look after him and protect him until the end of time as if he was his own guardian angel.

it generated some doubts on Sam's mind… What was going on between him and Blaine lately? Were they just getting closer and closer every day as the best friends they were or… had Blaine's crush on him started getting reciprocated? Was that even an option for Sam? He had never been interested in other boys before but… this was Blaine. With Blaine everything was different. With Blaine nothing went as it went with the rest. He and Blaine had a dynamic that didn't apply to anyone else and that no one else really understood. Was that supposed to mean anything? And did it mean something that Sam had so blatantly refused for Tina to help him take care of Blaine that night? That he had wanted him all for himself?

Was he… thinking about Blaine as something other than his best friend? Did he want… something more? And Blaine? Would he want it too? Well, since Blaine had admitted having a crush on him only a few weeks before… would it be so crazy as to think he might want to start something with him?

When he saw him lying there, so peaceful and… beautiful? he couldn't stop himself from checking the softness of his hair again, this time intentionally. He went for the adorable curls lying on his forehead. Sam didn't get why Blaine used all that gel to hide the wonderful hair he had, so he made a point to talk to him about it sometime (best friends could talk about hairstyles and adorable curls and all of that, right?). Once again, he was surprised at how soft the hair was, and how intimately wonderful it felt to run his fingers through it.

Sam froze when Blaine's hand reached for his, the one still on his hair. Maybe he wasn't completely asleep and he didn't like Sam taking some liberties he hadn't earned. But no, Blaine was just reaching for his hand, and as soon as he found it, he entwined their fingers together and brought them to rest under his cheek, pillowing the side of his face on them.

And if Sam had thought he was in trouble because of how fast his heart was beating just before that… Could he maybe… kiss him? No one would ever know, and those lips suddenly felt so tempting… But no, that would be crossing a line, a very red and thick line. Not because Blaine was a boy, or his best friend; but because he wasn't awake. First, Sam knew he needed permission to do something like that; and second, given Blaine had a major crush on him, wouldn't it be nice that he got to enjoy it too?

Thoughts of what Tina had done when Blaine was sick and how confused and troubled Blaine had looked when he found out about the vaporape incident came to his mind as he looked at his friend. How could anyone take advantage of someone looking so vulnerable and innocent like Blaine did at the moment? Sam had reproached Tina about it in a joking tone, wanting for her to know that it was not alright for her to do something like that to Blaine but not wanting to be too harsh about it. But now, seeing Blaine like that, completely asleep with Sam's hand trustingly under his cheek, he would give Tina a good piece of mind. Nobody took advantage of his best friend without getting a taste of Sam's wrath.

The clock from downstairs pointed out with its sound that it was already four in the morning, and that fact finally got Sam into action. He couldn't spend the rest of the night just observing his friend, right? He would need to get home himself sometime too, right? He tried to disentangle his hand from Blaine's ferocious grip, but Blaine just held onto it more strongly, and if he hadn't been so deeply asleep, Sam would have thought he was stroking Sam's skin with his thumb as if to convince him to not let go.

Ok, it was not as if he couldn't stay… Carol and Burt were not really waiting for him, as he had told them he might crash on someone's sofa after the party. And he didn't feel like walking all the way home, he was so tired… But above all… he still needed to take care of Blaine, right? Yes, he was asleep now, but… he could start feeling unwell or something. And he had that injured ankle to think about. Besides, no one liked to wake up alone in an empty house when you're feeling like crap, right? He was only being a good friend.

After some pulling, he was able to get Blaine to let go of his hand –and Sam could have sworn that adorable pout had not been in Blaine's lip only a second ago– and he stood up to undress himself. He was not wearing any undershirt, so he was left only in his underwear. He shrugged to himself: it wasn't that big a deal, they had changed next to each other a hundred times before, both at school and at their sleepovers, it's not like Blaine was going to freak out when he woke up.

Very carefully so as not to jostle the other boy too much, Sam lay down on the other side of the bed, keeping some prudent distance between them even if the only thing he felt like doing at the moment was to wrap little Blaine in his arms and squeeze him to his chest until he could stand it no more. But again that was out of limits, so he turned his back to him and stole a bit of the blanket to cover himself with it.

Not a whole minute had passed when he felt Blaine's adorable warmth glued to his back again. Seemed like the small boy had gotten the hang out of it and was missing the contact. Sam had slept on Blaine's bed hundreds of times –come on, they were bros, they had never felt the need for one of them to sleep on the floor when there was enough room in Blaine's bed–, but he had never expected to spend the night in Blaine's arms. With his breath sending shivers all along Sam's body even if it only touched the skin on the back of his neck.

Sam felt something different, something he had never felt before. Maybe he was feeling… protected? Secure? None of his previous girlfriends had ever made him feel like that. And he knew it wasn't different because this time it was a boy. It was because it was Blaine. Blaine, who gave his heart unconditionally. Blaine, who would always have the right thing to say to make Sam see he was special. Blaine, who would do anything for Sam.

Not that Sam was about to complain, and when Blaine's arm curled around his side, he took Blaine's hand in his and kissed his knuckles before he entwined their fingers and held it close to his heart as he let sleep claim him for the night.

* * *

The first thing Blaine noticed when he woke up was he had a terrible headache. The next one would be that he was both cold and hot at the same time. He was surprised to find himself with so little clothing instead of his usual pajama and only half-covered with a light blanket while on top of the covers. And the warmth would come for the body he was spooning. Wait, what? There was an almost naked stranger in his bed, in his arms, holding his hand in his! He jumped away from him in fright. How much had he had to drink?

Supporting his upper body on his elbow, he risked a glance over the other's person side and he could have cried from relief when he saw it was just Sam. Ok, nothing to worry there, then. Sam had just been his usual caring and wonderful friend and refused to leave him alone on the state he was the night before. And of course he had felt comfortable enough to share the bed with him, as they always did on their sleepovers. He just hadn't counted on Blaine getting so clingy and needy through the night.

Blaine groaned, mortified about the fact he had been spooning his friend just like that. They even were wearing next to no clothes! Sam didn't even have an undershirt on him! Maybe he could just grab his things and disappear from the place before Sam woke up. Although that would look as if something big had happened –even bigger than spooning your straight best friend through the night–. And the fact he was already at his own home made escaping all the more difficult.

But wait: Sam was asleep. Deeply asleep, for the looks of it. There was a chance he hadn't noticed, if Blaine had embraced him after he fell asleep. If he got up now, it was possible that Sam would never know and Blaine wouldn't have to wish the floor would swallow him whole. Maybe he could just get up, take some painkillers for his head, and get some breakfast ready. If he acted as if nothing had happened, maybe it would become true.

He carefully tucked Sam with the blanket to let him sleep a little longer –gosh, he was beautiful, Blaine thought with a sad sigh–, resisting the temptation to run his fingers through Sam's sleep-ruffled hair, because he didn't want to be the predatory kind of gay and Sam had been so awesome about his crush on him… Not wanting to dwell on feelings that would get him nowhere, he put his right foot in the floor and stood up.

But when the left food was put in front of the other and Blaine rested his whole weight on it, a flash of pain reminded him about some silly act on a bench the night before and he was noisily landing on his butt on the floor before he could be aware of it.

"What…?" Sam asked as he sat up with a fright.

"It's okay, it's me" Blaine murmured embarrassedly from the floor as he hissed with pain.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Sam asked, more alert now, as he turned around and located his best friend sitting awkwardly on the floor of his room.

"Just hanging around" Blaine answered sarcastically. "What do you think? I forgot about my ankle. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more embarrassing…"

"What's embarrassing? That you're injured and forgot about it?" Sam asked with a confused frown as he got up and walked to the other side of the bed to help his friend.

"No, the fact I spent the whole night stalking you" Blaine admitted in a rush, his face the mask of pure mortification, as he tried not to think about the fact than an almost naked Sam was pulling him up and guiding him –while holding him too close to him– to sit back on the bed.

"Stalking me?" Sam insisted, even more confused, as he deposited Blaine on the foot on the bed and sat at his side. Awfully close. While only in his underwear. Was he doing it on purpose or…?

"I have to apologize, Sam" Blaine confessed, careful to direct his gaze to an invisible point in the horizon so as to avoid looking at Sam's body. "I get very needy and touchy when I'm drunk, and apparently I thought spooning you through the night was a good idea"

"Oh" was the only thing Sam said, not giving Blaine any clues of what he thought about such a revelation.

"When I woke up I was so embarrassed that I contemplated just running away, but then I realized we were at mine's, so that was not even an option" Blaine explained because, as embarrassing as it was, he knew he could tell Sam everything, no exceptions.

"You didn't need to be embarrassed" Sam answered in a comforting tone, placing his hand in Blaine's naked thigh as if that wasn't going to make Blaine even more nervous.

"Easy for you to say, you didn't wake up wrapped around your best friend like an octopus with flashes of being really really obnoxious and inappropriate towards said friend as he only tried to help. I'm glad that at least you were asleep and unaware of everything"

"I was aware" Sam confessed.

"Oh God" Blaine groaned, hiding his face behind his hands.

"Hey, it's okay" Sam immediately reassured him, trying to hide a chuckle at Blaine's adorable embarrassment because he seemed really troubled. "Yeah, I was very aware of your arms around me but I didn't move away from you, did I? You started spooning even before I fell asleep, if I had been bothered by your proximity I would have moved, you know"

"You mean… you were fine with it?" Blaine asked with a confused frown.

"Actually, I was more than fine" Sam answered, this time he being the one to blush. "I… really liked it"

"What do you mean?"

"That I was comfortable and perfectly fine with it. Actually… it felt very nice"

"It did?" Blaine insisted, as his mind was clearly not functioning right yet if he was hearing that Sam had felt so comfortable in his embrace.

"Aren't we a bit slow today?" Sam gently mocked him with a fond smile.

"So you… weren't holding my hand by accident?" Blaine asked, daring himself not to hope.

"Obviously not" Sam answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I should…" Blaine started, not knowing what to say but he needed to get out of there as it was getting too intense. He forgot about his ankle again, and he almost yelled as he put his foot on the floor once more before Sam could stop him.

"What you should do is keep that ankle away from the floor" Sam reminded him as he gently grabbed Blaine's calf and rested it on his own lap so he could check it. "How does it feel?" he asked as he gently ran his fingers along the injured area.

"It really hurts" Blaine confessed, and Sam knew it had to be serious if Blaine was admitting it so easily.

"I think we should have it checked. Maybe I can drive you to the emergency room with your car after breakfast?" Sam kindly suggested, clearly unaware of how the tips of his fingers on Blaine's skin, even if they were there for medical reasons, were making Blaine crazy.

"You don't have to babysit me on your free day, Sam" Blaine gratefully refused, knowing how much his friend loved spending his Saturdays doing absolutely nothing after a hard school week. And he had done enough for him, already. And frankly, he was messing up with him with all those attentions and caresses.

"That's what best friends are for"

"You already did so much, friends aren't supposed to take care of…"

"I want to" Sam interrupted him before he could even finish his protest.

"Oh" Blaine could only exclaime, as his mind stopped functioning when Sam picked up his hand.

"I want you to be alright" Sam explained in all honesty.

"Ok"

"I don't like seeing you in pain"

"Ok"

"And I want to take care of you"

"Ok" Blaine was very aware of how stupid he sounded, but he was completely unable to say anything else as he looked into Sam's eyes and found so much emotion in them.

"I've wanted to do something since last night" Sam said, and didn't he look nervous all of a sudden? "Do you mind…?"

"Sure" Blaine answered even without knowing what he was agreeing to, because he knew he wouldn't be able to deny Sam anything anyway. Especially that day.

But even if he had known, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. Sam lovingly ran his knuckles across Blaine's cheek before he cupped it in his hand. And then, without any more warning that a reassuring smile, Sam brought their faces closer and slowly covered Blaine's petrified lips with his own. What was happening? Sam's lips were on his! His hand was tenderly holding his neck as he waited for Blaine to react to the kiss. And that he did when he tentatively separated his lips and let Sam deepen it, while his own arms moved to close around Sam's neck on his own accord. He let himself get lost in the feeling of Sam's hands in his skin, his sweet tongue brushing his, his long hair deliciously tickling his own face. But it was over to soon, and Blaine was missing the warmth of Sam's lips on his before they were even gone.

"You kissed me" Blaine stupidly stated as Sam stared nervously at him, trying to asset Blaine's reaction to his unexpected move.

"I know" Sam answered with an amused smile.

"But like really kissed me" Blaine insisted, still not knowing how to think or talk after what had just happened.

"I know, Blaine, I was there" Sam answered with a chuckle, as he fondly booped Blaine's nose.

"So… what does this mean?" Blaine asked, and there was so much hope and fear in his eyes at the same time that Sam's heart broke for a second.

"It means exactly what you think it means" Sam tried to reassure him, but Blaine needed to hear it.

"It's not possible, Sam" Blaine answered, praying for his friend to contradict him with all his forces.

"It is, B" Sam promised as he put both of his hands on the sides of Blaine's neck this time and brought their foreheads together. "I've been feeling something for some time now, but yesterday… you were injured and honest and sweet and vulnerable and funny, and I only wanted to take care of you. I needed to make sure you were okay, and I needed to be the one to keep you that way. And then you were so beautiful and innocent and I felt such a need to kiss you and wrap you in my arms… Which I didn't, by the way, it's important that you know that"

"I know that, Sam" Blaine answered with an adoring smile. There was nobody in the world that Blaine trusted more than his best friend, after all.

"I would never do anything to hurt you, Blaine" Sam insisted, even if he knew his friend believed him. "You're too precious to me"

"So you mean…?" Blaine wanted to know, even if he couldn't find the right words to ask.

"That I have feelings for you, Blaine" Sam confirmed with the sweetest smile, and he placed a kiss on the tip of Blaine's nose when the latter sighed as if he was not able to believe it. "Strong feelings. It means… that I can't conceive my life without you by my side anymore"

"I am still asleep, right?"

"No, Blaine, you're not dreaming" Sam promised just before capturing Blaine's lips again in a slow kiss that lingered.

He knew it was not possible, but Sam felt like he was already addicted to Blaine's taste. To the way Blaine's arm circled his neck and shoulders when he got lost in the kiss. To the little moan that always seemed to escape from this throat when Sam's tongue found his way into his mouth. To the softness of his curls when Sam's fingers ran through them.

"I would like to try something else" Sam whispered when the kiss broke and his heart fluttered with emotion as Blaine trustingly rested his head in the blond's shoulder.

"I don't know, Sam, I'm not sure I'm ready for that" Blaine answered with a frown, raising his head to look at the other boy.

"No, you idiot" Sam denied, trying hard not to blush at the mere idea. "I meant… We could… have dinner together tonight. It's Saturday, after all"

"But that's not new, we have our bro night every Saturday" Blaine pointed out with a confused frown.

"No, but I meant more like… taking you out" Sam explained. Blaine was indeed very slow today, wasn't he? "Picking you up, bringing you flowers and… going somewhere nice and all that stuff. More like… a date"

"Oh" Blaine exclaimed, biting his bottom lip to stop the obvious smile breaking in the most adorable way.

"And I hope by then you won't be sporting a hangover and you will understand what I say straight away" Sam joked, kissing Blaine's forehead to let him know he was only kidding.

"Maybe… another kiss will help me get more alert" Blaine suggested with a mischievous smile that Sam immediately reciprocated.

"Maybe" he answered before obeying.


End file.
